Students of all ages across North Texas are encouraged to participate in this year’s observance of Walk to School Day, scheduled for Oct. 12. More than 125 events are planned at campuses throughout Texas, with over 50 schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area taking part.
The event brings together students, their parents, schools and public officials to celebrate walking, promote healthy behaviors and mobilize support for pedestrian safety improvements.
Participation in this annual event can encourage students to become more active in a fun way, as it allows them to gather with their friends in the neighborhood for a different way to get to school. Instead of riding the bus or in the car, they can walk, bicycle or even ride a scooter.
Active commutes to school are more than just fun for students. Walking and rolling to school can include the following benefits:
• Encourage students to establish healthy habits
• Improve academic performance
• Reduce traffic congestion near schools
• Improve air quality
• Teach students about the importance of traffic safety
• Build stronger school-community relationships
For schools interested in holding an event, it does not take long to organize one. The Walk to School Day website offers tips on how to plan an event in seven days.
As part of a NCTCOG promotion of Walk to School Day this year, 20 schools registered events with NCTCOG and will receive free promotional materials to support their Walk to School Day events. Each promotional kit includes a Walk to School Day banner and/or other safety and encouragement items for students. The schools will also be able to enter their students’ names into a raffle to win a new bicycle.
While walking to school is highlighted one day a year, NCTCOG encourages students to continue opting for active ways to get to school after Oct. 12. The right infrastructure will help create more opportunities for students across the region, regardless of where they live. NCTCOG invests in Safe Routes to School projects such as improved sidewalks and crosswalks.
In 2020, NCTCOG awarded nearly $7 million for six Safe Routes to School projects across North Texas through the 2020 Transportation Alternatives Call for Projects. Later this year, the Regional Transportation Council will consider another series of funding requests as part of the 2022 call for projects.
